Halo: Reach was arguably the best Halo so far, setting a new bar for the series. But it was also a little sad knowing it was Bungie's farewell to a franchise they'd spent so long building into what it is today. One of the many new features was the addition of assassination moves that gave you the chance to violently take out unsuspecting enemies from behind. Bungie went all out with these, giving us some spectacular assassinations that allowed us to leap behind someone before spiking them into the ground, slam them to the floor to break their neck, and do a number of other violent things to them. These moves also made it to the campaign where they were equally as fun to watch, especially when you climbed up an Elite's back so you could jam a knife into its throat.

4. Gadget Takedowns(Batman: Arkham Asylum)

Arkham Asylum looked good from the very beginning, but I think it still managed to catch most of us by surprise by just how incredible it turned out in the end. The combat was one of the game's strongest elements, because it made you feel like the Dark Knight himself, albeit temporarily. One goon was never a problem, but when you went up against a half dozen or more, the Caped Crusader's vast supply of gadgets and gizmos came in handy. The Silent Takedowns let you take out grunts without alerting their friends, and some were rather cool to watch, like gliding into an enemy from across the room before kicking him in the chest, or waiting for a goon to walk under you so you could grab him from above and dangle him upside-down from a gargoyle. Next month's Arkham City promises even more ways to vanquish goons, and I'm sure many fans are foaming at the mouth to get their hands on some brand new takedowns. I know I am.

The God of War series is no slouch when it comes to brutal takedowns, but the third game took it all to the next level in almost every way imaginable. One of the things the series is known for are Kratos' takedown moves that tend to involve brutally tearing off enemy limbs and beating them to death with them. The Cyclops execution is particularly memorable, in which Kratos climbs the massive creature, grabs its eye, and spends several agonizing seconds tearing it from its socket. You could go through all of the God of War games and come up with a substantial list of incredible takedowns, but this is definitely the best of the bunch, and perhaps the most difficult to watch.

2. Majini Takedowns(Resident Evil 5)

Resident Evil 5 might not have lived up to the astronomically high bar set by its predecessor, but that doesn't mean it wasn't still a great game. RE4 introduced some fantastic takedowns—one of the best being Leon's suplex move where he picked up a downed enemy and slammed them head first into the ground—but I dare say that RE5 had some even better moves. Chris' moves revolved around his upper body strength, so he was punching and stomping on enemies. Being more agile, Jill and Sheva had far slicker moves: Jill would jump on a Majini's shoulders and snap its neck with her thighs, and Sheva would slip behind an enemy and slit its throat. Not only did these executions look cool, they were also quite useful for conserving ammunition.

1. Necromorph Executions(Dead Space 2)

In the first Dead Space, we witnessed protagonist Isaac Clarke undergo some truly gruesome deaths, but it was the sequel that finally allowed us to inflict those moves on other players. On top of that, each Necromorph was given a unique and fairly traumatizing execution that was as gory as the rest of the game. One twisted execution in particular was the Puker's special move. This Necromorph was armed with a highly corrosive spit that acted much like xenomorph blood in the Aliens movies. If you ever found yourself on the receiving end of the Puker's execution, I'm sure you'll agree that it's one of the worst possible ways to die. In the execution, the Puker would grab its helpless victim, tear off his helmet, and start vomiting all over his face. Ouch.

By Adam Dodd CCC
Contributing Writer

*The views expressed within this article are solely the opinion of the author and do not express the views held by Cheat Code Central.*